Page 3 of Into the Shadows

I don’t have my car. My best friend, Gia, is supposed to pick me up in an hour when she finishes her shift at the Café. “Do you have an extra helmet?”

“You can wear mine. It’ll probably be a little big, but it’s better than nothing.”

“What will you wear?”

“I’ll be fine without one. This town’s not big enough to worry about it.”

I twist my lips to the side, indecision warring inside me. Do I do the safe thing and stay here to wait on Gia, or do I do the reckless thing and get on the back of this stranger’s bike?

“Come on, Sparkles. Live a little.” He holds out the helmet to me, and before I can change my mind, I’m sliding it over my head. The bow holding half my hair back gets squished, but I don’t try to fix it. Mister Broody is already tightening the strap under my chin. Then he holds out a leather jacket for me to put on. The scent of cigarette smoke and cologne fills my senses. I want to bury my nose in the collar, but he’s watching me too closely to get away with it.

He swings a leg over the bike, his powerful thighs holding it upright. He gives me a quick rundown of what to do once I’m on the bike, and then I less-than-gracefully climb onto the back seat. I fist the side of Mister Broody’s white T-shirt as he kickstarts the bike. The motor rumbles beneath me, shaking my insides in a way that feels indecent.

Rough hands grab mine, pulling my arms tighter around his stomach.

Holy moly, this is happening.

I’m on the back of a stranger’s bike, going somewhere completely isolated, without telling a single soul.

My dad is going to kill me.

Chapter 2

Teddy

What the fuck are you doing?

I’ve asked myself that question about six times since Lottie came out the back door of the diner. Still don’t have an answer either.

When her bright amber eyes met mine, something sparked in my gut. And yes, I hear how fucking stupid that sounds, but I can’t describe it any other way.

All I know is she made me feel something for the first time in years, and I’m not ready to let it go.

My bike rumbles down the dirt path Lottie directed me to. I have no idea where she’s taking me. We’ve been riding for about fifteen minutes and are outside of town somewhere. I haven’t been to Sonoma since I was a kid—nothing about the place is familiar anymore.

“Just up here,” Lottie says into my ear. It takes a herculean effort to ignore the way her soft body feels pressed against mine. I’m not even sure how old she is.

Jesus fuck, this is stupid.

The trees give way to an open field that’s been recently mowed. The grass is thick and only comes up to my ankles.

Silence surrounds us when I turn off my bike. There’s a spot on the edge of the field looking out over Sonoma. It’s peaceful out here.

“You’re not going to pull a knife from your backpack and kill me, right?”

Lottie snorts. “I should be asking you that question.”

“I don’t have a backpack.”

“Well, then, I guess I’m safe.”

I smirk. I like her cheekiness. She uses my shoulder to get off the bike, and I follow her lead. She drops her bag on the ground and pulls out a navy blanket.

“You just carry a blanket around wherever you go?”

She gives me an unimpressed look. “No, I was going to sit in the park and wait for my friend to get off work.”

Lottie shakes out her blanket, carefully laying it on the ground before pulling a few other things from her bag. She sits down, taking a drink from her water bottle. “Well? Are you just going to stand there the whole time, or are you going to sit down?”

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